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Thursday, 24 January 2013

Statement by His Grace Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom on the eve of the January 2011 uprising and in response to the recent escalation of violence against Christians in Egypt.

The
uprising in Tahrir Square on 25 January 2011 inspired the world as it saw Egyptians
standing side-by-side in an effort to reclaim their national identity. There
was hope for a new Egypt, one that could offer its people the freedom and responsibility
of equal citizenship while no longer focusing on their religious or political
stance. In my statement this time last year, I remember commenting that it was ‘indeed
a turning point in Egypt's contemporary history. It is a time at which there
can still be positive reform and the building of a new nation that is cohesive,
and instills a sense of citizenship, ownership and responsibility into every
Egyptian; ceasing to focus on the person's religious or political stance, but
more on his or her contribution and accountability to a single nation state and
equality before the law.’ It is unfortunate however, that two years down the
line we have not seen sufficient signs of this transformation, and we still witness
the marginalisation and alienation of many, Christians and Muslims alike,
within Egyptian society, while repeatedly witnessing others committing crimes
and not being brought to justice.

Indicative
of this, is that over the last two weeks, violent incidents and targeted
attacks on Christians in Egypt have escalated once again. Last week, in Fayoum,
a hall and Sunday school building under construction, was destroyed by
thousands emerging from a nearby Mosque after Friday prayers, reportedly justifying
their actions by claims that the building would be used as a church. Security
forces arrived after the building was completely destroyed, and to date no arrests
have been made.

In
a separate incident, on 18 January 2013, thousands of Muslim protestors in Qena
attacked eight Coptic homes and businesses, torching Coptic-owned pharmacies and
vehicles. A Cross was destroyed and property within the church of Abu Fam was
damaged. These attacks came as a result of unqualified and now falsified rumours
that a Christian man committed a sexual assault against a 6 year old Muslim
girl. To safeguard its parishioners, the church was forced to cancel its
Epiphany service so as not to subject them to unnecessary risk. As of yet,
again, no charges have been made.

In
a third incident, in Beba, Upper Egypt, a church building was forcibly taken
over by a criminal gang, and converted into a drugs den after they had sold its
contents. In this case once again, there was no intervention by local security
forces.

Based
on these three occurrences in the space of two weeks, we call for proper
investigation into any acts of violence against individuals, groups, or
communities, and the protection of places of worship, to ensure that there are
no further attacks of this kind.

In
light of these events, it is equally disturbing to see the unbalanced response
in the recent reported court ruling, convicting a mother and her seven children
to 15 years incarceration. The family that had converted back to Christianity
from Islam, was reportedly found in possession of allegedly falsified documents.
Unlike the aforementioned incidents in which no convictions have been made, the
verdict handed down in the case Nadia Mohamed Ali and her children is, to say
the least, severe. While we do not condone the falsification of official
documents, it is worth clarifying, by way of explanation and not justification,
that if the right process were in place to allow Egyptian citizens to freely
choose their faith as regularly claimed, there would be no need for this
practice.

It
is stated on numerous occasions that there is ‘no compulsion in Islam’ and that
Egyptians are free to choose their religion. On that basis, we ask for Nadia
Mohamed Ali, her family, and all those involved in the case to be released from
prison. Following on from this, and in considering the intensity of severe challenges facing Christians, and in line with the movement towards greater democracy,
cohesion, and citizenship, we call for the serious consideration of the removal
of one’s religion from official personal identification cards, so as to
facilitate the treatment of all Egyptian citizens equally.

As
we approach the second anniversary of the uprising in Tahrir Square, it is
unfortunate that these incidents are by no means isolated. They are merely the
latest in a continuous stream of discriminatory decisions facing Egyptians,
Christians and Muslims alike, who wish to be treated equally, regardless of
their religious or political beliefs. That said, we call upon Egypt’s
government, judiciary, and officials to respect ‘freedom of belief and
practicing religions’, as set out in President Mohammed Morsi’s news conference
in Cairo last week.

Considering
the significant sacrifice that has been presented over the past two years, even
leading to the loss of life, it is time for Egypt to emerge out of the pattern
of discriminatory practice, and take on its new identity of a promised
democracy that the January 2011 uprising sought to establish.

We
pray for the communities in Fayoum, Qena, and Beba while also praying for Nadia,
her children, those involved in this case, and all those in a similar
predicament who are in prison, facing imprisonment, or being victimised for
merely desiring to exercise their God-given right to practice their chosen
faith. We also pray for peace and safety on the streets of Egypt over these
coming days, that there be no more injury, bloodshed, or mourning, and that the
spirit of hope and resilience lives on in the hearts of those who desire positive
reform and freedom.